Tag Archives: Marshall Plumlee Duke

Marshall Plumlee opened up to BDN's Mark Watson is our latest premium offering. Jon BDN Premium today for full site access. Photo Rick Crank for BDN

The Duke Blue Devils have put together one of the nations top recruiting classes in 2011 and Marshall Plumlee is a part of it. The youngest Plumlee opened up to BDN furing a recent interview sharing his thoughts on a variety of subjects, some of which you've likely hear about for the first time. So check out the latest offering from BDN Premium for yourself.

BDN - You just had a 20 point 11 rebound game where your team bounced back from a loss to finish off Glaxo strong. You were really aggressive in the game and caused some problems on defense with your length, especially against their guards where you forced a couple of turnovers. Can you talk a bit about that?

Marshall Plumlee - A lot of times you've got to work hard to get to that next level as a defender and I know there are things I need to work on. I've got to have quicker feet and be capable of defending a player on the perimeter. I have to take some chances in the game and eventually I will hopefully just pick it all up automatically.

Your Dad told me to say hello in that he hardly ever sees you while school is in session

(Laughs) Well, it was great to see him in the stands and I'm looking forward to talking to im when we get out of here [Glaxo]. He watched the team play UNC-G the other night and I was very excited for them, both team and family. This Duke team is a great group of guys.

Miles had a [private] nice game against UNC-G. Did you see those dunks?

You know, I only heard about it, so I'm looking forward to seeing the game. I get real excited when my brothers do well and I can't wait to be a part of it all.

As media our seats shift around a bit, but during the UNC-G game I was sitting directly behind the bench and Krzyzewski which was cool. As you know they don't like people looking in on huddles so, I had to look the other way during timeouts. But I noticed that Mason jumped up in great joy as Miles threw down a thunder dunk. Is that the way it is with concerns to support in your family?

All the time. Yes sir, we completely support one another and as a family we know what each other is capable of. We really push and bring out the best in one another and that makes for a great family.

People often talk of Marshall Plumlee and the word development comes up a lot. Although you are always developing. One thing a lot of people may not realize is that you are the only Plumlee that wasn't held back a year. In context, that means your brothers had an extra year for development. Can you speak to that?

You know, I never gave it much thought. For me I just know that my body continues to develop and as I get stronger it'll be different than the way Miles got stronger or Mason. In the meantime, all I can do is keep working and focus on the things I know are best for me and my body would catch up in time.

How would you describe your game in your own words?

My own words? I want to do whatever it takes to win. I want to block shots, rebound and do whatever it takes whether it is scoring 20 point a game or setting a pick. I just want to win. It's all about winning to me and that's what I want to do. That's why I chose to play for Duke as well, because I wanted to be a part of a winning program. I really wish I were there right now, but I appreciate another year with my current teammates at Christ School. I know I'm not ready right now but I've got another year to get better. It's exciting to be around the team because they are such great guys and they'll be friends forever. I'm looking forward to see what we can accomplishment together.

Is there anyone on the current team you've hit is off with?

Oh man, I hate to give a shout out and leave somebody out but I'd have to say that Nolan.

Rollin' Nolan. He's something isn't he?

Oh, he's awesome, he's great, they all are.

Not a lot of people know how stringent Christ School can be. You have designated times to study and those there take academics seriously. Can you talk of what a normal week is like there?

Yes sir. What a lot of people don't realize is that we have a ton of acreage for a school and there are no custodians. So, we wake up early in the morning and we all have a job. One person may scrub toilets, another sweeps the hallways and it really brings us together. You are expected to make good grades and I pride myself in keeping a 4.0 GPA. Basketball is great and it's my passion but there are some many other things out there in life and why not be at all of it.

There have been a few times when I tried to get in touch with you but curfews were in place. You guys have to be in bed by a certain time and study, right?

Yes, study halls are enforced and curfews are in place, but with this being my senior year, I have the honor of being chosen as a Christ School prefect or leadership position. So my purpose job is enforcing those rules on the younger guys. So, there is a little bit more time this year where I can study.

Why is leadership important?

It helps me in so many ways. Leadership is something ... when it's there and obvious when it's not. It's important in the locker room and with your teammates. And when I get to Duke, I'll do what ever Coach K tells me to do.

I know that Chris Collins came to see you the other evening and Wojo [Steve Wojciechowski] tonight. Do the coaches converse with you afterwards?

Yeah, for the most part we keep in good touch. I personally like conversions with them because I can pick their brain and they tell me things I could do better and things I did well and their wealth of knowledge I pick up on a lot of things.

Do you ever get razzed now that you have elected to play for Duke?

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. There are always Carolina fans out there.

Quite a few in the western part of the state, huh?

Yeah, yeah, but I'm 110% Duke. It's fun to be a part of it all.

And what does the future hold for Marshall Plumlee?

The future for me will be a steady process of a lot of work. Some of the best advice I've got from the Duke coaches is that it's a marathon and not a sprint and I can never forget that and you mentioned earlier how players develop and my biggest fear is n for tme to peak for there should always be room for improvement.

Duke fans will soon get some good news that you guys will actually play in Cameron in February against Oak Hill Academy and Quin Cook.

I'm really looking forward to it. Oak Hill is a great basketball school and we've had some opportunities in the past and I'm looking forward to another shot against them. I'm looking forward to seeing Quinn Cook again, he's a great team and he'll be a good teammate.

Have you guys been able to get together or stay in touch?

Yeah. We keep in touch and I have seen him on visits at Duke and gotten to know him and the little time I've spent with him let's me know he's a great kid and I'm real excited to play with him.

Thanks for your time, Marshall!

Yes sir. Thank you. [/private]

Coming next - Breaking down the improvements in Marshall Plumlee's game.

There has been a long tradition of future Duke players playing in the Glaxo Smith Kline Holiday Invitational Tournament over the years. Some of the more memorable performances were turned in by Will Avery and Chris Duhon as well current Chicago Bulls star, Luol Deng. This season there is but one future Blue Devil participating, that being Marshall Plumlee of Christ School Arden.

Of course, there would have been two Blue Devils had former verbal Tyler Adams, a 6-10 center form Brandon, Mississippi not backed out. Adams is now headed to Georgetown but his team was originally invited because of his original Duke ties. Interestingly, Adams and Plumlee's teams squared off in the opener.

Adams started the game with a block of Plumlee's first shot and he went on to score 17 points in the first half, ending the game with 21 points, 11 rebounds. Plumlee went scoreless in the first half, but settled down in the second and he had better stats than Adams after the break. Plumlee ended the game with 9 points and 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 blocked shot.

But this wasn't a match up solely between the two bigs and Christ School was the much deeper team and they played their entire 12 man roster. So while some may point to head to head stats, the important stat was that Christ School had little trouble with Brnadon defeating them by a 70-46 score.

By playing a deep rotation, this meant Plumlee didn't get the same minutes as Adams. Trey Brown added 12 points and the next top scorer had a mere 4 points for Brandon. Meanwhile, Christ School got 20 points from Damarcus Harrison and 10 more from T.D. Dixon.

Towards the end of the contest, Adams was visibly tired but he is still a load in the paint and he has developed a nice little outside shot since the AAU circuit this summer. Plumlee showed a baby hook, the ability to follow missed shots with authoritative dunks and a family trait in good, really good, passing skills.

One must also remember that a common practice in today's high school basketball world is to hold a id back a year for maturity. That was the case with Marshall's brothers, Mason and Miles. So, in short, Marshall has not had that extra year as had they and if he did, it would be an advantage.

The youngest of the Plum 3's is still developing and is a work in progress, but those close to the program are happy where he is and they can see his improvement. Again, Christ School doesn't go inside to him often, so he battles for the scraps more often than not.

"I got Marshall to settle down after half time and he recognized the double teams coming at him allowing him to get the ball to open teammates. His jump shot from the free throw line helped open the game up a bit," said Christ School Coach David Gaines.

Christ School plays again this evening at 7:20 which conflicts with the Duke-UNC-Greensboro game but they will also play on Thursday, so local Triangle are fans have two chances to see him play. We'll touch base with Marshall in the coming days for he was not available to the media last evening. Marshall most recently won the dunk contest at City of Palms.

The Blue Devil Nation got the early word and broke the news that Marshall Plumlee [7-0, 215, Class of 2011, Christ School, Arden, N.C.] committed to Duke University tonight. Plumlee will join Mason and Miles for a rare three brother act in Durham. Plumlee called Coach Krzyzewski with the news that he was ready to be a Blue Devil this evening.

Plumlee also chatted with Duke Assistant Coach Steve Wojciechowski about his decision and said he played a late role in helping him come to realize Duke was the fit for him.

The Christ School product also phoned his Coach, David Gaines with the news and then called his two brothers before going to see his Mom in a joyous evening for his family.

Plumlee also made a difficult call to Tony Bennett of Virginia, the runner up. Plumlee then started making calls to his family shortly thereafter and their camp was kind enough to give us the word first of his commitment to the defending national champion, Duke Blue Devils.

He is happy to be a part of the Duke Family and stated he is ready to go to work to continue to get better.

Marshall Plumlee is relieved to be a Blue Devil - All photos, copyright BDN Photo

The youngest Plumlee joins Michael Gbinije and Tyler Adams in the class of 2011. Duke will now turn their attention to Austin Rivers who will play in this week's Peach Jam which BDN will once again cover. Stay tuned for an interview with the newest Dukie on BDN Premium.

Sidebar - Up next for Marshall will be Minneapolis and Las Vegas on the AAU circuit.

Marshall Plumlee talks recruiting and more in this latest BDN Premium offering

Forging your own identity as a basketball player is a tough task, but that's especially true if you have two older brothers who already play for one of the elite programs in college basketball.

But if anyone is up to he task it's Marshall Plumlee, a near seven foot front court player that is going into his junior season at Christ School in Arden North Carolina.

The name Plumlee is more than just a little familiar to Duke fans for Marshall's older brothers Miles and Mason both play for and currently start at Duke.

There are definitely some similarities which go beyond all three sons initials being the same. For that matter, those initials apply to their Father as well, Millard Plumlee who goes by "Perky."

The biggest similarity which jumps out to me is a good work ethic, When I was planning a story on Marshall, I called his Dad to arrange a chat a few weeks back. In the background one could hear the squeaking of sneakers, which later turned into the sound of a bouncing ball followed by the the whoosh of a stationary bike.

Perky was working out with his son on a regimen he's been through more than a few times. When a lot of kids Marshall's age were outside kicking about, Plumlee 3 was hard at work in the gym to get better.

The first time I saw Marshall was when I was covering Christ School in the North Carolina State Championship game just after Mason had committed to Duke.

Marshall was long and lean, but skinny and still growing into his body. Still, when Marshall opened up he was already running the court like a gazelle, making it down in half the strides of the average player.

A year later I saw Marshall during Dave Telep's camp which brings in the states best players annually. His improvement amazed me for he had developed a spin move, a baby hook and was active and aggressive.

Now that Marshall is growing into his body, his game is coming together. Still, one can expect Marshall to be Marshall, meaning he'll forge his own identity.

BDN caught up with Marshall [private]where we discussed the coming season, his brothers, the recruiting process and his thoughts on a recent Duke visit.

"It was great, it couldn't have gone any better. I got a chance to see my brothers and my family came down from Indiana. So, it was great," said Plumee when asked of his visit to Durham.

Plumlee continued, "It looks like my brothers are really enjoying themselves. I got to see them practice a lot which was a lot of fun for me."

That led me to ask Marshall if his brothers playing in Durham was a positive for Duke and he replied, "Yeah, it definitely comes into the equation. There are many attractive aspects for me going and playing with my brothers. I'll continue to go over my options this year, but I definitely think playing with my brothers is a positive for Duke. I really enjoy being with them because we push to make each other better."

But other schools are in the mix for the next Plumlee. 'Right now I have offers from Notre Dame, IU [Indiana], Minnesota, N.C. State, Virginia, Ohio State, Purdue, Florida, Northwestern and Duke."

And Duke isn't the only school chasing the youngest Plumlee, "I'd say at this point I'm trying to narrow down a list of schools. There are a few that standout in my mind but at this point I'm kind of playing it close to the chest or at least until I release an official statement that I have narrowed my list."

Plumlee has now turned his attention towards his school work and the coming basketball season for Christ School where they start practice on November 12th.

"My role with Christ School this season will obviously be different than in years past. With my brothers gone I will step up and contribute more whether it's rebounds, points - wherever my team needs me."

Plumlee knows he has big shoes to fill and that his Christ School team will be defending another state title, three of those in the last four years. "I'm just ready to put in the work. We're a bunch of great guys willing to play together. "

You will hear more about Marshall this coming season and on the next AAU circuit and it'll be fun to watch Marshall grow as a player.

"I really like how my summer went and I am going to continue to improve. The Duke offer motivated me as have others to come back and work hard. I have to prove to Duke and others that I deserve the offers and that I am capable of helping or playing for them." [/private]